Process for converting heavy hydrocarbons into light hydrocarbons.



H. STRACHE III P. PORGES.

PROCESS FOR CONVERTING HEAVY HYDROCARBONS INTO LIGHT HYDROCARBONS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I3, I914.

1,205,578. PzitentedNov. 21,1916.

Disckaryel qf B6211 Z115 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HUGO STBACHE AND PHILIP? IPOBGES, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

' 'PBOCESS FOB CONVERTING HEAVY HYDBOCARBONS INTO LIGHT HYDROCARIBGNS.

certain new and useful Improvements in Processes for Converting Heavy Hydrocarbons into Light Hydrocarbons; and we do hereby declare the following to be a. full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

In known methods of transforming heavy hydrocarbons into light, easily vaporizable hydrocarbons, in which a mixture of the heavy hydrocarbon, petroleum, vapor and steam are conducted over a heated metal oxid to produce light hydrocarbons and combustible gas, there has been a great disadvantage in that the metal oxid for transferring oxygen became inoperative in a comparatively short time by a part of the metal oxid being reduced to metal, and by carbon depositing on the catalyzer. Another great disadvantage in this process is that there has been no reliable indication when the oxygen transfer required regeneration, and, furthermore, the regeneration has customarily been done by conducting superheated steam over the hot, depleted oxygen transferrer, often causing explosions.

According to the present invention all or practically all of the heavy hydro-carbons are converted into light hydrocarbons and gas, with some carbon deposits on the oxygen transferrer, and to this end vapors of heavy hydrocarbon, gas-oil, mixed with steam are conducted over an oxygen transferrer at a comparatively low temperature, thus giving a large output in light hydrocarbon or benzin or gasolene, having a low boiling point, and but small quantities of gas, the object being, in all of these processes to reduce the gas production to a minimum.

The oxygen transferrer is an oxid of a metal, for example, iron-oxid, lead-oxid, cerium-oxid, yrolusite, or the like, and is preferably the oxid of a metal havingmore I than one stage ofoxidation.

The regeneration of the substance, which comes more or less mixed or coated with carbon during the process, is effected by con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Bay 13,

Y Patented Nov. 21, 1916. 1914. Serial No. 838,279.

ducting oxygen or air through the heated catalyzer. This coating of carbon is practically negligible when the proper supply of steam is maintained and the temperature kept low. The cracking smell is also greatly reduced when care is taken to promptly reoxidize the oxygen transferrer as soon as u the yield of light oils begins to decrease.

In order that the operation of the invent1on may be understood, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing, in which- B is a distilling vessel containing the heavy hydrocarbon or mineral oil to be treated, for example, gas-oil, known commercially as green oil or blue oil such oils having a density of 0.8 to 1.0, and beginning to boil at 150 C.

Steam is conducted into the vessel B, and the mixed steam and heavy hydrocarbon vapor pass through valve 1) to the retorts A filled with a substance capable of transferring oxygen to-the oil. Said retorts A are contained in a furnace C, and are heated by gas jets from a pipe h the distillation in the presence of steam taking place at a temperature between 140 C. at the beginning of the operation and is gradually raised to 300 C. The decomposition in the retorts A takes place when the temperature of the retorts reaches about 600 C. The quantity of the oxygen transferrer used is dependent upon the quantity of oil to be treated in a unit of time; for example, if

100 kg. of oil is to be converted into gasolene in one hour, 100 kg. of catalyzer (iron oxid) will be required.

The products of reaction pass from the retorts A filled with metal oxid O to a dephlegmator D from which the heavier constituents are returned by a pipe r to the vaporizer B, while the lighter constituents or gaseous products pass to a purifier R provided with a mass S containing lead oxid and an alkali or an alkaline earth, by which the cracking" smell, olefins, are removed. The light hydrocarbon is then condensed in a cooler K at a temperature of about +15 0., and the lighter gases are then conducted to a second cooler K and cooled to a temperature of about 10 0.; the uncondensed gasesissue from the pipe 9 These gases either escape, or are used for heating the vaporizer and retorts, or may be compressed into containers for future use.

After about six hours of operation, the

gasolene or benzin flow from the cooler K will begin to show an increasing percentage of hydrocarbons having a boiling point of over 150 C. This is an indication that the transformation of the heavy to the lighter hydrocarbons is not progressing satisfactorily, and that the oxygen transferrer requires regeneration. Valves 1) and d are now closed and valves a and a are opened, the valve (in admitting air or oxygen, which is energetically blown by a blower 0 through the heated retorts A effecting the combustion of the deposited carbon and the reoxidation and the oxidation to a higher stage of the oxygen transferrer. The products of combustion leave the retorts and pass out through the valve a where the nature of the gas or flame of the ignited gas, or the absence of flame, will determine when the regeneration has'been completed. Valves a and a are then closed and valves 1) and d again opened, and the process continued as before. By regenerating the oxygen transferrer in this manner its original effectiveness is not only restored, but after repeated regeneration the transferrer becomes more effective than when first used,

probably 'due to the opening up of its surfaces, so that the process can be carried out at a lower temperature, (with an iron oxid as oxygen transferrer, between 500 C., and 600 C.) and the quantity of uncondensable gas is considerably reduced, while the valuable product desired to be obtained, namely gasolene, or benzin, is increased in volume.

We 'claim 1. The process of converting heavy hydrocarbon oils into light hydrocarbon oils, which comprises passing a mixture of a heavy oil vapor and steam over a metal oxid capable of transferring oxygen to the decomposition products of said oil and heated to a temperature-suflicient tocause the formationof light hydrocarbon oils capable of immediate industrial use without the formation of tar and carbon.

2. The process of converting heavy hydrocarbon oils into light hydrocarbon oils, which comprises passing a mixture of heavy oil vapor and steam at substantially atmospheric pressure and without destructive distillation, over theoxid ofa metal capable of more than one stage of oxidation and of being reduced to metal at the temperatures employed, and heated to substantially ared heat, the quantity of steam being propor prevent the formation of tar andtioned to carbon.

3. The process of converting heavy hydrocarbon .oils into light hydrocarbon oils, which comprises passing amixture of heavy oil vapor and steam at substantially at- DR. HUGO STRACHE. PHILIPP PORGES.

lVitnesses Josnr ZU'LELAND, AUGUST FUGG'ER. 

